Chapter 4: Michelle Greenwald

How can the Sapiens methodology contribute to foster innovation and business transformation?

In this episode of “Connecting knowledge”, Michelle Greenwald, innovation expert and professor, shares her unique perspective on how the Sapiens methodology has influenced her approach to marketing.

With an impressive track record at companies like Pepsi, Mattel and Disney, Greenwald reveals how strategy and innovation play a vital role in brand management and product development. From teaching at Columbia University to consulting with global companies, she explores how the Sapiens methodology has resonated with her work in creating cultures of innovation and adapting to changing market trends.

This is how Michelle Greenwald sees the need to question how things are done in organizations, in order to improve:

“Most people are kind of lazy, and they don’t like to ask too many questions, because they might find out that what they’re doing is wrong or it’s not the best that it can be. So I think it’s very valuable, if you want to improve. I think it is good to question and not be afraid to question, and also to have multi-functional questioning. Not just the initial team that comes up with the idea, but try and get viewpoints from other perspectives, because then you identify problems sooner, and you can deal with them sooner. It’s a balance because, if you’re constantly critiquing, it can be paralyzing and you will never move forward. But I do think it is good to be open and then, hopefully, you can decide what’s worthwhile or not. But if you don’t allow the questions, you’re never going to find out what the issues are”

About Michelle Greenwald

Michelle Greenwald studied International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration and Management at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She was business director of Nestlé USA, vice president of Pepsi, vice president of Mattel and vice president of Disney. She is CEO of Inventours and a professor at Columbia, NYU Stern and IESE business schools.